Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 17

Friday, May 17, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 17

1              How should the plastics industry deal with the U.S.-China trade war?
https://www.plasticstoday.com/injection-molding/how-should-plastics-industry-deal-us-china-trade-war/36908952260819

Another deadline has come and gone, and the United States and China are still nowhere near a trade deal. In fact, with strong rhetoric coming from both sides, I’m now sensing we’re closer to economic Armageddon than a storybook ending. I’m preparing my consulting clients for the worst-case scenario.

2              Oil Is Trade War’s Collateral Damage
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/oil_is_trade_wars_collateral_damage-14-may-2019-158826-article/

U.S. oil shipments are likely to be a casualty of the trade war with China, even though crude was spared from the latest list of American goods targeted with retaliatory tariffs.

3              LNG Players Weigh Ship Storage Gambit
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/lng_players_weigh_ship_storage_gambit-17-may-2019-158859-article/

With so much cheap liquefied natural gas around, traders are again looking at tankers to store the fuel in the hope of better prices.

4              Peak Gasoline Vehicles Is Already Here
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Peak-Gasoline-Vehicles-Is-Already-Here.html

The internal combustion engine has already reached a peak in sales. That startling conclusion comes from a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). “Sales of internal combustion passenger vehicles have already peaked, and may never recover unless EV growth falters, or major economies such as China invest in significant stimulus programs,” Bloomberg NEF wrote.

5              American Oil Finds New Markets
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/american_oil_finds_new_markets-16-may-2019-158849-article/
U.S. crude is reaching new destinations around the world after Chinese buying slowed amid concern that the growing trade dispute between the countries could result in a tax on American oil.

6              Is North America Facing a Pipeline Bubble?
https://www.rigzone.com/news/is_north_america_facing_a_pipeline_bubble-14-may-2019-158829-article/

Spending on proposed North American pipelines could reach $232.5B and raise global pipeline capacity by a third.

7              Coming marine fuel standard will disrupt markets for 1-5 years: BCG study
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shipping-fuel-study-idUSKCN1SM0AG

The marine industry’s January 2020 shift to using very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) to power ships worldwide will launch a one- to five-year disruption in oil and refined products markets, according to a study released Thursday by Boston Consulting Group.

8              Mexico’s rising oil nationalism faces debt-rating crisis
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-pemex-insight-idUSKCN1SK1TE

The leftist oil nationalist’s ambitions include building a new $8 billion refinery, refurbishing existing refineries and reversing a steady decline in crude production. The problem is that such expensive plans – for the world’s most indebted oil company – have alarmed credit rating agencies, which are threatening to downgrade Pemex bonds to “junk” status.

9              ExxonMobil doubles plant’s manufacturing capacity of speciality elastomers
https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/14052019/exxonmobil-doubles-plants-manufacturing-capacity-of-speciality-elastomers/

ExxonMobil has completed an expansion of its speciality elastomers manufacturing plant in Newport, Wales, which doubles the plant’s manufacturing capacity and increases global manufacturing capacity of Santoprene™ thermoplastic elastomers by 25%.

10           EIA revises its crude oil price forecast upward as supply expectations change – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39452

In its May 2019 edition of the Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA revised its price forecast for Brent crude oil upward, reflecting price increases in recent months, more recent data, and changing expectations of global oil markets. Several supply constraints have caused oil markets to be generally tighter and oil prices to be higher so far in 2019 than previous STEOs expected.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 17

Friday, May 17, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 17

1              Why Cleaner Marketing Data is Essential for IT
https://datafloq.com/read/why-cleaner-marketing-data-is-essential/6369

In a world where B2B companies clash over who gets to be on top in terms of sales, numbers play a pretty big part. More so because variables such as conversion rates and lead traffic can point you to whether you need to up your marketing game. This explains why enterprises are putting much of their resources on lead generation and content marketing. The idea is to generate as many B2B leads as possible. Many would think setting up an efficient B2B lead generation strategy across multiple channels is the main challenge. In reality, it isn’t. Ensuring that your pipeline feeds on “clean” data is still a crucial issue.

2              6 Ways Your Business Can Quickly Upskill Its Workforce
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/6-ways-your-business-can-quickly-upskill-its-workforce

Technological advancements are keeping the modern workforce on its toes. The World Economic Forum projects that robotics, autonomous transport, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology will create the biggest changes in industries around the world. Businesses that want to thrive in these changing conditions will need a workforce with new skills, especially digital skills.

3              Why You Need To Focus On Your Email List
https://www.business2community.com/email-marketing/why-you-need-to-focus-on-your-email-list-02199164

While most digital marketers and new entrepreneurs focus on Facebook, Instagram, and other social marketing, there’s still one channel that beats them all – and that’s email.

4              Customer Churn Prediction Using Machine Learning: Main Approaches and Models
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/05/churn-prediction-machine-learning.html

Customer retention is one of the primary growth pillars for products with a subscription-based business model. Competition is tough in the SaaS market where customers are free to choose from plenty of providers even within one product category. Several bad experiences – or even one – and a customer may quit. And if droves of unsatisfied customers churn at a clip, both material losses and damage to reputation would be enormous.

5              How companies deploy machine learning models to production today
https://medium.com/@teren_93770/how-companies-deploy-machine-learning-models-to-production-today-7caea620e034

The real transformational benefits of machine learning and data science can only be realized when models are constantly being used in a production environment. Even more value gets generated when there is a feedback loop from production data that is used to retrain a model at high frequency (some companies do daily retrains). However, let’s stay focused on just getting models in production.

6              How to Retain and Regain Your Customers
https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/how-to-retain-and-regain-your-customers-02198018

Between paid ads, blogging, email and social media marketing, cold calling and more, companies spend a lot of money trying to acquire new customers. However, many act as if the battle is won after the first sale. Not so! Companies that fail to invest in their existing customers are likely to lose their most significant assets. A survey by SAS and Loyalty 360 found that 68% of new business comes from current clients. And, since it can cost five to 25 times as much to attract a new customer as to keep an existing one, keeping your churn rate as low as possible will help you get more mileage out of your budget.

7              Mathematical programming — Key Habit to Build Up for Advancing Data Science
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/05/mathematical-programming-key-habit-advancing-data-science.html

The essence of mathematical programming is that you build a habit of coding up mathematical concepts, especially the ones involving a series of computational tasks in a systematic manner.

8              Could machine learning solve attribution challenges?
https://marketingland.com/could-machine-learning-solve-attribution-challenges-261063

If your digital marketing team struggles with attribution, you’re not alone. Nielsen reports that only one out of every four marketers can confidently attribute revenue to their digital efforts. But does that surprise you?

9              The great balancing act: The long and short of B2B marketing
https://www.marketingweek.com/2019/05/16/long-short-b2b-marketing/

The case for long-term thinking has been building since Les Binet and Peter Field’s highly influential IPA report, ‘The Long and the Short of It’. They showed that long-term strategies are more effective at moving the dials that really matter – market share, profit, revenue and so on.

10           4 Tips for Visualizing Your Marketing Data with a Dashboard {New Research}
https://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/visualize-marketing-data-dashboard/

Many people have had the experience of going to the optometrist thinking that they don’t need new eyewear because they can see things just fine. Then they try a new prescription and – BOOM – they see details that they never realized they were missing.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 16

Friday, May 10, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 16

1              2018 was likely the most profitable year for U.S. oil producers since 2013 – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39413

Net income for 43 U.S. oil producers totaled $28 billion in 2018, a five-year high. Based on net income, 2018 was the most profitable year for these U.S. oil producers since 2013, despite crude oil prices that were lower in 2018 than in 2013 on an annual average basis.

2              The Shale Boom Is About To Go Bust
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/The-Shale-Boom-Is-About-To-Go-Bust.html

The shale industry faces an uncertain future as drillers try to outrun the treadmill of precipitous well declines.

3              Pemex to build refinery after outside firms balk at price tag: Lopez Obrador
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-pemex-idUSKCN1SF1UW

Lopez Obrador told reporters at his regular morning news conference that the firms also could not meet the government’s three-year construction time frame, but Pemex could.

4              The Benefits Of Free Trade With Mexico Are Very Real For The Energy Industry
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2019/05/06/the-benefits-of-free-trade-with-mexico-are-very-real-for-the-energy-industry/

Over the last 25 years trade with Canada and Mexico has quadrupled, almost reaching $1.3 trillion and supporting 14 million American jobs through our trading partners. The U.S. energy benefits provided through this agreement makes even more vital that we continue this trade partnership through the U.S.-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA).

5              From Paris to Omaha: How Occidental CEO out-maneuvered Chevron in Anadarko bid
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-anadarko-petrol-m-a-occidental-hollub-idUSKCN1SF1TW

Occidental Petroleum chief executive Vicki Hollub was caught off guard when U.S. oil giant Chevron swooped in last month with a $33 billion offer to buy Anadarko Petroleum, the oil and gas exploration and production firm she had been wooing for nearly two years.

6              Could the Plastics Industry Become Collateral Damage in a Trade War?
https://www.ptonline.com/blog/post/could-the-plastics-industry-become-collateral-damage-in-a-trade-war

The plastics industry is a global one, and at this time, it’s caught in the transcontinental crossfire of a slow simmering trade war.

7              Plastics resin pricing: Plastics Exchange
https://www.plasticstoday.com/resin-pricing/weekly-resin-report-spot-and-contract-resin-prices-rising-across-board/160564858260755

Prices for both polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) firmed at least a penny last week, with some extra strength seen in low-density (LD) PE for film. Buyers sought to procure well-priced material in the face of a burgeoning bull run and were more aggressive than sellers, who generally sat back awaiting orders after raising prices about $0.02/lb to start the month of May, reports the PlasticsExchange (Chicago) in its Market Update.

8              DowDuPont to Complete Spin-Off of Companies
https://www.ptonline.com/news/dowdupont-to-complete-spin-off-of-companiesFollowing last month’s spin-off of a ‘new’ Dow, the spin-off of an independent DuPont materials company and the new Corteva agriculture firm will take place June 1.

9              Royal Dutch Shell to invest $ 2 billion per year in Brazil
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-royal-dutch-shell-brazil-idUSKCN1SF18A

Royal Dutch Shell PLC has plans to invest about $2 billion per year in Brazil through 2025, CEO Ben van Beurden told newspaper Valor Econômico in an exclusive interview.

10           ExxonMobil to devote $100 million for research on lower-emissions technologies
https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/exxonmobil-to-devote-100-million-for-research-on-lower-emissions-technologies/

ExxonMobil said on Wednesday that the company would develop the new technologies with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

11           There’s Tremendous Room For Growth In Offshore Oil & Gas
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Theres-Tremendous-Room-For-Growth-In-Offshore-Oil-Gas.html

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas celebrates its 50th birthday this week, begging the question – what will the next 50 years hold for the offshore market?

12           Majors Driving Rise in Global Discoveries
https://www.rigzone.com/news/majors_driving_rise_in_global_discoveries-07-may-2019-158775-article/

If the rest of 2019 continues at a similar pace, this year will be on track to exceed last year’s discovered resources by 30 percent.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 16

Friday, May 10, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 16

1              Machine Learning Will Be the Next Big Thing in Supply Chain Management
https://datafloq.com/read/machine-learning-will-next-big-thing-supply-chain/6355

Supply chain management, or SCM, is becoming a more critical job every year, as more consumers turn to e-commerce and warehouses and distribution centers grow. Technology is catching up to the exponential expansion of this industry, but it’s been a slow process. It’s a lot of work for one person, or even a team, to sort through thousands or millions of orders. Machine learning is on the cusp of becoming the next big thing in SCM. How will machine learning change how companies manage their supply chains?

2              5 steps to move closer to one-to-one personalization
https://marketingland.com/5-steps-to-move-closer-to-one-to-one-personalization-260802

“One-to-one marketing” continues to be one of the biggest buzzwords of 2019. At MarTech West last month, it felt like everyone at the conference discussed how their teams are working to foster personalized connections with customers through technology stacks. It also was refreshing to hear that I’m not alone and no one has achieved truly one-to-one marketing – at least not yet.

3              The AI Boom: Why Trust Will Play a Critical Role
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/coming-ai-breakout-need-rules-road-now/

The exponential pace of technological advancement has made it more challenging than ever before to address its unintended consequences. We have seen it with digital innovation, especially social media, and we are only just beginning to contemplate it with artificial intelligence, which holds the promise of being the most transformational technology of the information era.

4              Wise Practitioner – Predictive Analytics Interview Series: Zeydy Ortiz at DataCrunch Lab
https://www.predictiveanalyticsworld.com/patimes/wise-practitioner-predictive-analytics-interview-series-zeydy-ortiz-at-datacrunch-lab/10381/

DataCrunch Lab, a few questions about their deployment of predictive analytics. Catch a glimpse of her presentation, Will They Stay Or Will They Go? A Customer Lifetime Value Case Study, and see what’s in store at the PAW Financial conference in Las Vegas.

5              How to win customers and influence them so they stick with you
https://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/win-customers-influence-them-stick-with-you/

More choice means it not only becomes harder to persuade customers to engage with a particular proposition but also to retain their interest post-transaction.

6              Three steps for using data to crack customer-centricity
https://www.marketingweek.com/2019/05/07/three-steps-data-customer-centricity/

In terms of data availability, marketers have moved from famine to feast in recent years. With information being emitted by washing machine, wrist and everything in between, we’re swimming in our ‘new oil’.

7              How to Help Your Content Team to Have Better Ideas
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/content-team-better-ideas/306601/
Leading or managing a content team can be a highly rewarding experience. However, all too often, it results in a dilemma. You are expected to generate the majority of ideas for your department’s creative output.

8              How Digital Platforms Have Become Double-Edged Swords
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-digital-platforms-have-become-double-edged-swords/

It’s not difficult to see how digital technology and innovation have rapidly transformed our world over the last three decades. If the industrial revolution was built by the factory system, the changes we see today are organized around digital platforms.

9              How is Data Science Changing the World?
https://towardsdatascience.com/how-is-data-science-changing-the-world-db0c4b3cdb8

In this article, you will go through the role that a Data Scientist plays. There is a veil of mystery surrounding Data Science. While the buzzword of Data Science has been circulating for a while, very few people know about the real purpose of being a Data Scientist. So, let’s explore the purpose of Data Science.

10           11 Classical Time Series Forecasting Methods in Python (Cheat Sheet)
https://machinelearningmastery.com/time-series-forecasting-methods-in-python-cheat-sheet/

Machine learning methods can be used for classification and forecasting on time series problems. Before exploring machine learning methods for time series, it is a good idea to ensure you have exhausted classical linear time series forecasting methods. Classical time series forecasting methods may be focused on linear relationships, nevertheless, they are sophisticated and perform well on a wide range of problems, assuming that your data is suitably prepared and the method is well configured.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 15

Friday, May 3, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 15

1              Oil’s New World Order Requires Careful Management
https://www.forbes.com/sites/daneberhart/2019/05/03/oils-new-world-order-requires-careful-management/

It is hard to recall a time when the United States has held more power over global oil markets. America has upended markets by becoming the world’s top producer and a major exporter of both crude oil and refined products. But America’s geopolitical influence extends well beyond its role as a source of abundant, affordable and secure energy.

2              Oil prices poised for weekly drop as U.S. output climbs
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN1S904D

Oil prices were on track for sharp weekly declines on Friday as surging U.S. output countered production losses in sanctions-hit Iran and Venezuela.

3              Analysts Stick to 2019 Oil Price Forecast
https://www.rigzone.com/news/analysts_stick_to_2019_oil_price_forecast-03-may-2019-158749-article/

Analysts at Fitch Solutions Macro Research (FSMR) still believe the price of Brent crude will average $73 per barrel in 2019, according to a new report from the company.

FSMR analysts lowered their average annual price forecast for Brent for 2019 from $75 per barrel to $73 per barrel back in March. Last month, the analysts stuck to their forecast that Brent crude would average $73 per barrel this year.

4              U.S. LNG exports flat on week
https://www.lngworldnews.com/u-s-lng-exports-flat-on-week-2/

Liquefied natural gas exports from the U.S. remained flat over the last week, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

EIA stated in its weekly report that eight LNG vessels, five from Sabine Pass, one from Corpus Christi, and two from Cove Point departed from the United States from April 25 to May 1.

5              Mexico Puts The Squeeze On Fuel Theft
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Mexico-Puts-The-Squeeze-On-Fuel-Theft.html
Pemex is struggling–to put it lightly. Petroleos Mexicanos, Mexico’s long-mismanaged state-owned oil company, has been bleeding money as its production levels have fallen to a trickle of their former production levels over the last decade. Now, Pemex is reporting a 36 billion peso ($1.9 billion U.S. dollars) loss in the first quarter.

6              Shell pursuing $1 billion exit from Indonesia LNG project: sources
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shell-abadi-idUSKCN1S90WK
Royal Dutch Shell is moving to sell its stake in Indonesia’s $15 billion Abadi liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, industry and banking sources said, following on from an asset disposal program that has raised more than $30 billion.

7              Another oil and gas company fails in Alberta — and more than a dozen others are teetering
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/trident-exploration-aer-owa-oilpatch-1.5120486
Alberta’s persistently low oil and gas prices have claimed another victim as Calgary-based Trident Exploration ceased operations this week. Several other companies could suffer the same fate.

8              Chevron completes purchase of Houston-area refinery from Brazil’s Petrobras
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-refinery-sale-chevron-pasadena-idUSKCN1S74PF

Chevron Corp completed a $350 million purchase of a refinery in the Houston suburb of Pasadena, Texas, from Brazil’s national oil company, Petrobras, Chevron said in a statement.

9              Mixed Signals on Resin Prices : Plastics Technology
https://www.ptonline.com/articles/mixed-signals-on-resin-prices

Prices of PE, PVC and PET were flat in March, while PP dropped and PS moved up.

• PE PRICES FLAT
• PP PRICES DOWN
• PS PRICES UP
• PVC PRICES FLAT TO SLIGHTLY UP
• PET PRICES FLAT TO HIGHER

10           U.S. Refining Industry Reckons with Uncertain Energy Future
https://www.chemengonline.com/u-s-refiners-reckon-uncertain-energy-future/?printmode=1

Many indicators point to current success and prosperity for U.S. petroleum refineries, but simultaneously, the industry is facing a future of massive changes in energy and transportation.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 15

Friday, May 3, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 15

1              Top Digital Transformation Trends For Businesses [2019]
https://medium.com/tkxel-us/top-digital-transformation-trends-for-businesses-2019-476a1d02cec0

Organizations are finding it more difficult than expected to implement digital transformation to drive business growth.

Corporate inertia has hampered CEOs, CTOs and CIOs to keep pace with the latest advancements and reinvent themselves.

2              4-Step Lead Generation Analysis To Optimize Sales Conversion
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/demand-generation/4-step-lead-generation-analysis-to-optimize-sales-conversion/

Among other things, we’ll take a basic look at conducting a lead generation analysis, to help you optimize your lead generation process, campaigns and programs.

It’s really quite simple, but it requires taking the time to evaluate what really works while building a deeper rapport with an equally busy team of quota-carrying sales reps.

3              How to use data to build relationships with customers
https://adage.com/article/data-driven-marketing/how-use-data-build-relationships-customers/2167321

Homing in on your ad target through technology is only half a marketer’s job: The other half is maintaining that customer relationship. Seductive rewards programs give consumers easy access to brands they already buy and give companies lots of data to mine—and the better the program, the higher the adoption rate, enticing customers to spend more.

4              Should I Prioritize ABM Tactics Ahead of Demand Generation?
https://www.business2community.com/strategy/should-i-prioritize-abm-tactics-ahead-of-demand-generation-02194697

Companies who shift their marketing to a more ABM-focused strategy mostly do so in transition from a broader, more traditional, funnel-based approach. But what if you’re starting from square one?

5              3 Tips, Now That 98% of B2B Marketers Value Content Marketing
https://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/3-tips-now-that-98-of-b2b-marketers-value-content-marketing/

Content marketing is “finally” valued by B2B marketers, according to an inaugural study by Walker Sands Communications. But considering another study shows B2B buyers “remain skeptical about vendor content,” brands also will have to invest in doing content marketing right. Here’s my advice on how marketers can do that.

6              How to Manage Your Data As You Scale
https://datafloq.com/read/how-to-manage-your-data-as-you-scale/6306

We all know that growing your business is a necessity in order to stay in the game. However, there’s more involved in the process than simply marketing to get more loyal customers through your front door. With the technology that we use, it’s important to understand how to manage the data of your business as you continue to expand your customer base. Here are some great tips that you can start utilizing today to prepare for better data management in the future.

7              Intro to Lead Generation: How to determine if a lead is qualified
https://www.b2bleadblog.com/determine-qualified-leads/

Felix had earlier asked me some questions about cost per lead, which I won’t share here, since the information is private to his company. However, I thought it would be helpful to publicly answer his follow-up question, about lead qualification, on the B2B Lead Roundtable Blog. I thought it might assist many readers, especially those newer to the complex sales and marketing process (and thank you to Felix for allowing me to share this publicly).

8              4 Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Manufacturing Industry
https://medium.com/@hmsolutions/4-ways-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-manufacturing-industry-f15656dd19af

The C-suite executives of manufacturing industry are under immense pressure to innovate and find new streams of revenue as unplanned downtime, labour costs and other conventional processes are killing productivity and growth.

9              How to pinpoint the right buyers for your B2B product or service
https://www.smartinsights.com/b2b-digital-marketing/pinpoint-right-b2b-buyers/

It’s never been easier for B2B businesses to identify and target their ideal customers online.

10           Top Data Science and Machine Learning Methods Used in 2018, 2019
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/04/top-data-science-machine-learning-methods-2018-2019.html

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 14

Friday, April 26, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 14

1              Oil dip insufficient to halt run of weekly gains
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN1S202T

Oil prices fell on Friday as the market retreated slightly from its strongest bull run in at least a year amid efforts to resume Russian oil flows that were interrupted by contamination.

2              Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-traders-looking-for-eia-report-to-show-80-to-90-bcf-build-570661

Natural gas futures are inching slightly higher on Thursday, straddling the psychological $2.50 level just slightly above the low of the week at $2.491. Helping to underpin the market were weather models showing a slight increase in demand over the next couple of weeks.

3              Mexico Is Now Top U.S. Trade Partner, Ahead of China, Canada
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenroberts/2019/04/26/mexico-is-now-top-u-s-trade-partner-ahead-of-china-canada/

Mexico now ranks at the United States top trade partner, a first. Mexico traditionally ranks third among U.S. trade partners, behind China and Canada.

4              U.S. weekly LNG exports rise
https://www.lngworldnews.com/u-s-weekly-lng-exports-rise/

Liquefied natural gas exports from the United States have increased during the previous week, the data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows.

5              WoodMac: LNG industry heading into $200 bln Capex boom
https://www.lngworldnews.com/woodmac-lng-industry-heading-into-200-bln-capex-boom/
Over the next two years, almost 90 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG is expected to take final investment decision (FID) and start construction.

6              Anadarko to review Occidental’s offer
https://www.lngworldnews.com/anadarko-to-review-occidentals-offer/

Anadarko Petroleum confirmed that it has received an unsolicited proposal from Occidental Petroleum telling its shareholders to take no action before the review of the bid is completed.

7              A New Middle East Mega-War Is Unfolding Right Before Our Eyes | OilPrice.com
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/A-New-Middle-East-Mega-War-Is-Unfolding-Right-Before-Our-Eyes.html

Iran is leading a new bloc, with Turkey and Qatar, intent on remaking the greater Middle East. The Iranian leadership recognizes that this drive might lead to a regional war and is actively preparing for such an eventuality.

8              Warp factor: Asia’s LNG markets distorted by oil price surge
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-lng-oilprices-idUSKCN1S10RX

Asia’s liquefied natural gas market is being distorted as the cost of LNG bought under long-term contracts linked to oil prices jumps to double spot gas cargoes amid tighter U.S. sanctions on Iran’s crude exports and cuts in OPEC oil supply.

9              Germany, Poland halt oil imports via Russian pipeline over quality concerns
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-oil-exports-idUSKCN1S02V1

Poland and Germany have suspended imports of Russian oil via a major pipeline, citing poor quality and triggering a rare crisis over supply from the world’s second-largest crude exporter.

10           Glut forces LNG producers to offer flexible deals from global portfolios
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lng-portfolio-sales-idUSKCN1RZ2K2

The world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers including Shell, Total and Petronas are increasingly selling from global supply pools instead of dedicated projects as buyers leverage a fuel surplus to force ever more flexible deals.

11           U.S. petroleum product exports set record high in 2018 – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39192

U.S. exports of total petroleum products set a record high in 2018, reaching an annual average of 5.6 million barrels per day (b/d), an increase of 366,000 b/d from 2017 levels. The three largest petroleum product exports from the United States in 2018 were distillate, propane, and motor gasoline.

12           Oil hits highest since November as U.S. tightens Iran sanctions
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN1RZ01O

Oil prices hit their highest since November on Tuesday after Washington announced all waivers on imports of sanctions-hit Iranian oil would end next week, pressuring importers to stop buying from Tehran.

13           Plastics News:  A partnership aimed at building more standardized mold systems
https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20190419/NEWS/190401656/firms-jointly-target-mexican-mold-market

Mexico City — A trio of companies — two from China and one from Mexico — are hoping that a partnership aimed at building more standardized mold systems can help them pick up business in Mexico’s growing market for injection molds.

14           Plastics News: The first 100 percent recyclable running shoe.
https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20190419/NEWS/190401657/adidas-introduces-fully-recyclable-running-shoe

Adidas AG Adidas has selected 200 runners to try out its Futurecraft-Loop recyclable running shoe and will make it available to the general public in 2021.

Shoe and sportswear giant Adidas AG is unveiling a new way for its customers to do running repeats, unveiling what it says it the first 100 percent recyclable running shoe.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 14

Friday, April 26, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 14

1              Big Data – Enabling Procurement To Play A More Strategic Role In Business
http://spendmatters.com/uk/big-data-enabling-procurement-play-strategic-role-business/

Procurement is quickly evolving in response to rapid advances in technology, skills and talent, changing consumer demands and business practices. Businesses across a range of industries are using data more and more as the basis of their strategic planning and to measure business performance.

2              5 Innovative Ways Procurement Can Use Data Analytics
https://www.sourcetoday.com/supply-chain/5-innovative-ways-procurement-can-use-data-analytics

Big data. Key performance metrics. Predictive data analytics. Structured and unstructured data. The list of terms used to describe the vast quantities of information being generated by organizations—and the methods for using that data—seems to be proliferating as quickly as the data itself. Figuring out what to do with all of this information can be downright daunting, but the good news is that procurement is in a prime position to use data to develop reports, perform spend analysis, assess suppliers, and do compliance checks.

3              10 Ways CRM and ERP Can Streamline Your eCommerce Operations
https://www.business2community.com/ecommerce/10-ways-crm-and-erp-can-streamline-your-ecommerce-operations-02194091

Operating a successful eCommerce business is more than just getting more customers and selling more products. As your company grows, the various operational tasks associated with running the company will increase exponentially.

4              Applying the inverted triangle principle to content marketing
https://www.smartinsights.com/content-management/applying-the-inverted-triangle-principle-to-content-marketing/

Stand out, get noticed and engage your audience with the inverted triangle principle. To attract an audience’s attention, start with the end in mind.

5              5 Golden Rules of Engagement to Create a Winning Global Marketing Strategy
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/5-golden-rules-of-engagement-to-create-a-winning-global-marketing-strategy/

Like everything else in this crazy industry, agencies’ approach to managing global business used to be easier. When I started working on my first global brand 20-plus years ago, marketers basically controlled a linear consumer journey. So global really just meant translating unified ad campaigns made up of TV, print, OOH and radio for other markets and then settling in with an ice-cold Tab to watch a LaserDisc.

6              Uncovering the hidden talent on your staff
https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Uncovering-the-hidden-talent-on-your-staff?gko=0c244

Not long ago, during a staff meeting, I watched a midlevel developer demonstrate to his colleagues a groundbreaking program he’d created. His managers had given him time and support to work on it, and he was clearly energized by what he’d made. To cap off his presentation, he guided everyone through an exercise in which they built a bot — in less than an hour.

7              Hashtags on LinkedIn: How to Use Them
https://www.business2community.com/linkedin/hashtags-on-linkedin-how-to-use-them-02193696

Three weeks ago, in ‘Hashtags on Popular Social Media Sites: The Ultimate Guide,’ I explained how to best use hashtags on the most popular social media sites. I discussed LinkedIn, but as with Facebook, it stands out in hashtag use. It seems like hashtags on LinkedIn are almost not done. The tip I found was: place hashtags at the end of your update, keeping your main message clean without the distraction.

8              Digital marketing trends to pay attention to [Infographic]
https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/digital-marketing-trends-to-pay-attention-to-infographic/

No one can be found disputing the power of effective marketing. After all, if a marketing and advertising campaign are executed expertly, it can serve the requirements of any business and grow the demand for the product or service that they offer. While the need for marketing is still present, the areas where marketing is most effective has improved a lot.

9              What are you optimizing for? A lesson from machine learning
https://hackernoon.com/what-are-you-optimizing-for-a-lesson-from-machine-learning-2070cc33dca

I have learned only a minuscule amount about machine learning; just enough to get under the hood and to build something very rudimentary. As I was learning some of the underlying concepts and methods, a couple of things really struck a chord in my brain–with how applicable they are to, well, everything.

10           How Big Data & Analytics is impacting the e-commerce world
https://bigdataanalyticsnews.com/big-data-analytics-impacting-ecommerce/

Big data is simply large datasets in which are stored and further analysed to find patterns and trends relating to the customer’s interaction. These create insight into the businesses strategy and their decisions moving forward.

11           Goals vs Objectives: The Simple Breakdown
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/goals-vs-objectives

Whether you’re working on a team project or defining goals for an entire company, it’s critical your employees are on the same page when it comes to terminology.

“Goals” and “Objectives” often seem like two interchangeable phrases. “We have ambitious goals for 2019,” you might tell your marketing team, following up with, “Our objectives are aggressive, but entirely possible.”

12           A New Customer Experience, how AI is Changing Marketing
https://www.the-next-tech.com/artificial-intelligence/a-new-customer-experience-how-ai-is-changing-marketing/

AI is changing marketing

In the summer of 1956, 10 scientists and mathematicians gathered at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College to brainstorm a new concept assistant professor John McCarthy called “artificial intelligence.” According to the original proposal for the research project, McCarthy — along with fellow organizers from Harvard, Bell Labs, and IBM — wanted to explore the idea of programming machines to use language and solve problems for humans while improving over time.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 13

Friday, April 19, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 13

1              ConocoPhillips sells UK business to Chrysaor for $2.7 billion
https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/breaking-conocophillips-sells-uk-business-to-chrysaor-for-2-7-billion/

Oil major ConocoPhillips has entered into an agreement to sell two ConocoPhillips United Kingdom subsidiaries to Chrysaor for $2.675 billion, plus interest and customary adjustments.

2              The Undeniable Signs Of A Shale Slowdown
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Undeniable-Signs-Of-A-Shale-Slowdown.html

The world’s largest oilfield services company said its earnings were hit in the first quarter because of a slowdown in shale drilling activity.

3              U.S. FERC approves two new LNG export terminals in Texas and Louisiana
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lng-tellurian-sempra-idUSKCN1RU1SG
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Thursday approved construction of two proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals, Tellurian Inc’s Driftwood in Louisiana and Sempra Energy’s Port Arthur in Texas.

4              Weekly resin report: Sellers cautiously optimistic, as spot resin prices inch up
https://www.plasticstoday.com/resin-pricing/weekly-resin-report-sellers-cautiously-optimistic-spot-resin-prices-inch/170878971260638

Spot resin trading was very good during the second week of April, with completed volumes heavily weighted in favor of polyethylene (PE) over polypropylene (PP). While asking prices for both PE and PP generally moved higher, actual transaction levels were largely flat, according to the PlasticsExchange (Chicago).

5              Big Changes May Be in Store for Alberta Energy Industry
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/big_changes_may_be_in_store_for_alberta_energy_industry-17-apr-2019-158621-article/

Alberta returned to its conservative roots, electing United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney premier after he vowed to fight harder for the Canadian province’s beleaguered energy industry.

6              Commodity firm Trafigura jumps into chemical trading with new JV
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trafigura-petrochemicals-idUSKCN1RT1GG

Global commodities house Trafigura Group said on Wednesday it is entering petrochemicals trading by teaming up with Houston-based Altis Group International to take advantage of an expanding sector.

7              Eastman Launches Chemical Recycling Innovation for Complex Plastic Waste: Plastics Technology
https://www.ptonline.com/blog/post/eastman-launches-chemical-recycling-innovation-for-complex-plastic-waste

Eastman’s ‘carbon renewal technology’ can recycle difficult to recycle plastic waste such as flexible packaging and films.

8              Think Tank: Mexico’s New Refinery Already Doomed
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Think-Tank-Mexicos-New-Refinery-Already-Doomed.html

A Mexican think tank has declared that Pemex’s newest refinery is doomed in a grim analysis released this month. The Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad, or IMCO for short) released a damning financial analysis of the Dos Bocas refinery, currently being developed in Tabasco by state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), which gave the project a mere 2 percent chance of success.

9              The IoT Potential Manufacturers Are Leaving on the Table
https://www.manufacturing.net/article/2019/04/iot-potential-manufacturers-are-leaving-table

By 2025, the Internet of Things (IoT) will comprise of 75 billion connected devices. From voice-activated devices like Amazon Alexa to smart refrigerators, IoT devices are changing the way consumers interact with brands. But the growth of the IoT has implications far beyond the consumer space.

10           DuPont Teijin Films makes significant chemical recycling steps
https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/environment/recycling/dupont-teijin-films-makes-significant-chemical-recycling-steps-15-04-2019

The waste is transformed into a variety of technically advanced BOPET films serving a wide range of applications and markets.  The use of recycled content is a critical part of DuPont Teijin Films’ circular economy strategy, and the upcycling of PET through the LuxCR process also marks an important step forward in the chemical recycling technology for the wider polyester industry.

11           Robots Take Over Oil Trade And OPEC Is Scared To Death
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Robots-Take-Over-Oil-Trade-And-OPEC-Is-Scared-To-Death.html

Artificial intelligence has been making inroads into the oil and gas industry for a while now after the industry realized all the benefits it could reap from the deployment of these technologies. Now, it has begun changing oil and gas trading as well.

12           All aboard! Treasure on the high seas for gas dealers
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lng-shipping-analysis-idUSKCN1RR0GB

In the booming market for super cooled natural gas, the most precious commodity is the ship.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 13

Friday, April 19, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 13

1              Three Innovative Uses of Data in the Manufacturing Industry
https://www.manufacturing.net/article/2019/04/three-innovative-uses-data-manufacturing-industry

According to the 4th annual State of Manufacturing Technology Report, the use of analytics and data is expected to grow over the next five years. As the level of connectivity and digitalization continues to grow during the fourth industrial revolution, manufacturers will be able to connect and integrate all pieces of their business: from materials planning and logistics to shop floor output and training. The obvious by product is the generation of more and more data. However, simply hoarding data is not only ineffective, it’s expensive. Manufacturers need to make that data earn its keep!

2              How Artificial Intelligence Can Shorten The Sales Cycle?
https://medium.com/tkxel-us/how-artificial-intelligence-can-shorten-the-sales-cycle-f54081963440

• Derive Detailed Customer Insights Using AI Algorithms
• Leverage Predictive Analytics To Improve Lead Quality
• Never Miss Out On Any Up-Sell or Cross-Sell Opportunity Again
• Stop Sending Cold Emails, Get More Personalized
• Adopt The 80/20 Rule

3              4 Misconceptions Manufacturers Have About Digitization
https://www.manufacturing.net/article/2019/04/4-misconceptions-manufacturers-have-about-digitization

The manufacturing industry has long been one that is content with a satisfactory status quo. There is a defined way of operating within the supply chain that has performed well enough, for the time being, leading many manufacturers to deem digitization unnecessary.

4              Using Trust as the Driving Force Behind Marketing Strategies
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/using-trust-as-the-driving-force-behind-marketing-strategies/

In 2015, Nobel Prize-winning economists Robert Shiller and George Akerlof published a book with a chilling theory: We are all pawns in a market that thrives on manipulation and deception, filled with sellers that exploit our psychological weakness and gullibility for profit.

5              Having to share personal data turns consumers away from loyalty programs, study says
https://www.marketingdive.com/news/having-to-share-personal-data-turns-consumers-away-from-loyalty-programs-s/552921/

According to a new Harris Poll survey, 71% of Americans would be less likely to join a rewards program that collects personal information, such as address, account information and more, with 27% saying they would be much less likely to join.

6              How to Set Sales and Marketing Goals
https://www.business2community.com/sales-management/how-to-set-sales-and-marketing-goals-02191062

For sales and marketing teams, setting goals is not just a habitual exercise—it’s a foundation for how these teams will execute in the next month, quarter, and year. If you feel that your sales or marketing team is continually struggling to set goals that you can reach (or even exceed), it might be that the goals your sales and marketing teams have set aren’t aligned with each other.

7              4 Keys to Successful Teamwork
https://www.business2community.com/strategy/4-keys-to-successful-teamwork-02190261

Effective teamwork is the number one rule of an organization’s success. It has many benefits such as increased productivity, improved work quality, increased employee morale and etc. Putting together a great team may seem like a simple task. Hire the best individuals and there you go! Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that in the real world because making a group of different people work together in harmony is in fact a very difficult task. There are certain key elements to it. Below you can find 4 of them.

8              4 Tips for Managing to Metrics Without Going Under
https://www.business2community.com/big-data/drowning-in-data-4-tips-for-managing-to-metrics-without-going-under-02189692

A decade or two ago, one of the biggest challenges organizations faced was getting their hands on useful data in a timely fashion. Then, accessing business data on Monday morning that was current to Friday afternoon presented quite a predicament. But today, even the least tech-savvy company has immediate access to a multitude of graphs and information, available all the time, up to the minute. But while you might think this would create informed management teams and data-based decisions, it hasn’t exactly turned out that way.

9              The Email Fatigue Cure May Not Be a New Email Strategy
https://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/email-fatigue-cure-may-not-be-new-email-strategy-but-supplementing-with-personalized-direct-mail/

More marketers than ever rely on email as a primary means of customer engagement. But think about your inbox: How many emails do you delete every day without bothering to open them? Consumers’ inboxes are saturated, leading to email fatigue: lower open rates and lower click rates.

10           Artificial intelligence in a “no choice but to get it smart” energy industry!
https://towardsdatascience.com/artificial-intelligence-in-a-no-choice-but-to-get-it-smart-energy-industry-1bd1396a87f8

The Renewable Energy (RE) boom is representing a great opportunity for the economy, the energy sector and the fight against climate change. But, because of their inherent intermittency, the RE leaders (e.g. Solar or Wind) alone still can’t achieve the full demand or the aggressive goals of greenhouse gas reductions.